In many ways, the BMW M3 is the 911 of the BMW brand. With worldwide success on the racing track and the showroom, the M3 is probably the most important M car BMW ever built. Through six generations—since the original E30 M3 in 1986—BMW has been building the M3 for almost 30 years. Of all the various generations, there is one M3 that, for me, is the absolute top of the heap. That car is the fourth-generation E9X series built from 2007 through 2013. The Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com is one of these cars, an E90 2011 BMW M3 sedan with Competition Package located at a dealer in Oviedo, Florida.
In my opinion, these M3s are the best-looking models of any BMW M3—and have enough tech to make them viable cars even today. This is important, but the real magic of the E9X is what you can’t see. Under the hood lies the awesome-sounding and performing naturally aspirated DOHC 4.0-liter S65 V8, the last naturally aspirated engine used in an M car. This engine produces 414 horsepower at a staggering 8,400 rpm. This gave the E9X a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed limited to 155 mph (or as high as 180 if you disconnect the limiter) and the sound of this engine at its 8,400-rpm redline is nothing short of intoxicating. It’s arguably one of the best-sounding V8 engines ever offered by any manufacturer.
Another interesting thing about the E9X version of the M3 is that—unlike the E46, where you could only get a coupe or a convertible—it was more like the E36 M3 in that it was again offered as a sedan, a coupe or a convertible with a retractable hardtop. Basically, whatever your needs are, there is an E9X M3 for you, making it kind of a Swiss Army knife of M cars. In BMW internal and enthusiast nomenclature the sedan is the E90, the coupe the E92, and the convertible is the E93.
I have logged lots of time behind the wheel of various E9X M3s, and they never fail to deliver. They are easy to drive day to day and can literally do whatever you want them to. They are exciting and engaging to drive, with terrific steering, huge cornering limits, and an involving driving experience. These M3s seem to have literally been engineered and designed for true enthusiasts.
This M3 is quite rare as it is not only a M3 Competition sedan, but it is also one of only five E90 M3 sedans produced in Fire Orange paint. This color is even better-looking in person than what you can see in the photos (and the car in the photos looks pretty good).
Unfortunately, this listing on ClassicCars.com is a lesson in how not to list a car. There is no description, and even the mileage is missing. I took the extra step of going to the dealer’s website to get the information on the car. It is not hard to copy and paste this info onto our site, and I urge dealers to do this, as most buyers do not take this extra step.
The original owner of this M3 was not satisfied with a 414-horsepower car in a super rare color. As a result, they spent tens of thousands of dollars on modifications on top of the $72,325 MSRP. What they ended up with is a car that was completely unique and absolutely out of this world to drive. In order to preserve the Fire Orange paint, both the front end and rear bumper have been wrapped in Paint Protection Film, and the entire car has been ceramic-coated, resulting in a finish the dealer says shows like new.
The dealer also states that the interior of this car came from the factory with black leather but has been upgraded with a set of AMX Custom BMW M Performance bucket seats in front. These seats feature black leather on the outside with centers finished in BMW M Texture Alcantara with orange accents, and the rear seats have been upholstered to match. This upgrade alone is said to have exceeded $10,000. Additionally, an Alcantara-wrapped BMW M Performance steering wheel has been added with larger aluminum shift paddles and a blue stripe at the 12 o’clock position.
Engine modifications include an ESS 650 supercharger kit; a recent dyno run shows the car produces 527 wheel-horsepower and 351 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels, which is nearly a 180 horsepower and 100 lb-ft increase over a standard car when measured at the wheels. Importantly this M3 has also received a bevy of preventative maintenance, including replacement of the rod bearings, throttle actuators, new OEM valve covers, fuel tank vent valve, spark plugs and coil packs, as well as new motor mounts.
The original owner was also not completely satisfied with the stock suspension, so they swapped out the factory M setup for Ohlins Road and Track coilovers, Dinan sway bars, and Ground Control camber plates. (S)he did not forget the brakes: this car is now equipped with Stoptech ST60 front brakes with Girodisc Rotors, with Stoptech ST40s installed in the rear. To keep the exterior appearance relatively stock and make it a bit more of a sleeper, the car still has the Competition Package Style 359 wheels in back, but the fronts have been replaced with a new set of rear wheels.
This is a truly extraordinary E90 M3 sedan, and the asking price of $69,980 likely covers the cost of this car’s modifications. The mileage is a bit high at 84,000 but the condition of this car and the preventative maintenance that has been done make it in many ways a much better choice that an ultra-low-mile example. No, it is not a dead stock E90 M3, but instead it is probably one of the fastest E9X M3s on the planet.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
